


Bright Light in Dark Times

by venomandchampagne (sushibunny)



Series: I Want Your Confession [2]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Historical, F/M, Nurse Caroline, Vampire Klaus, klarolineauweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-20
Updated: 2015-10-20
Packaged: 2018-04-27 06:41:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5037832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sushibunny/pseuds/venomandchampagne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Caroline in any era can still give Klaus pause.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bright Light in Dark Times

**Author's Note:**

> Klaroline AU Week 2015, October 6, Day 2: The Past
> 
> I used a prompt from natssoldier for this: World War II. Klaus is a vampire, and even in all his years he's never seen a war quite like this one. Walking through the halls of yet another full hospital for an easy snack, he comes across a most intriguing woman nursing the soldiers.

He was in a small town in France, Klaus didn't know the name, didn't much care. As long as he could find food, what did he care what the name of the small provincial town was? What's in a name, after all? Blood in any body tasted just as sweet as the next. And thanks to this latest war, blood was in great supply.

In his nearly one thousand years wandering the Earth, Klaus had never quite seen a war like the one that currently ravaged Europe (and Asia, though he hadn't traveled that far in a few centuries). The Great War had been brutal; so much death and in so many new and harsh ways, the vampire had thought it would never be surpassed. Yet this new war, this Second World War, put that one to shame.

Klaus tended to keep himself out of human affairs for the most part. Getting too involved drew too much attention, especially with the more prolific usage of modern photography these days. He and his family, if you could still even call them as such with most of them daggered in boxes, were still on the run from Mikael, and being in the spotlight was never a good idea. So he had steered clear of taking any roles of note, opting to pass himself off as an ordinary British soldier. It was the accent he was most familiar with, the one he always kept up to date with, so it was simple to move from one battlefield to the next, reveling in the ease in which he could satiate his hunger, caring not from which side his meals originated.

And that is how he found himself in the Allied camp, walking through the makeshift hospital that had been set up in what appeared to have been a textile factory of some sort before the war. Hospitals were by far the easiest way for him to find a meal, and when he didn't feel the urge for a more entertaining hunt, he would frequent them as his hunger arose. This particular camp was located a fair distance from the active battlefront, meaning most of the patients were fairly stable and of the long-term care variety, which suited Klaus just fine. It would involve more compulsion, of course, and he would generally have to leave his victims alive if he didn't wish to arouse much suspicion, but the ease of the meal made up for the extra effort.

"Hey, you there, soldier! Get over here and give me a hand!"

Klaus was interrupted from his perusal of the menu laid out on cots before him by a sharp voice, causing his lips to turn down in annoyance. His frown only deepened when a hand shot out and grabbed his arm, roughly jerking him across the room. Before he could chastise the soon-to-be-dead owner of said appendage, his eyes widened in surprise as he took in the form that had dared to manhandle him.

It was a nurse. That part wasn't so shocking; he was in a hospital after all. But the rest of her gave him pause. The blonde curls that were pinned back away from her pale face, the long legs her frumpy uniform did nothing to hide, the sinful shape of her body, the deep, blue eyes that were currently narrowed at him in a look of frustration. What was a beauty like her doing in the middle of a war?

"Hello? Can you hear me? If you have time to stand around gawking at my patients, you have time to help me move this man," she practically yelled at him, coming to a stop in front of yet another standard issue army cot, arms akimbo as she glared up at him.

Klaus could only stand there, staring at her with a mix of surprise and awe. What was wrong with him? He had seen plenty of woman in his time, woman of all shapes and sizes and flavors. What was it about this particular spunky blonde that was giving him pause?

"Wait, do you even speak English?" the woman asked suddenly, her annoyance turning to worry. "Oh my god, I'm sorry, you probably don't! You must think I'm nuts. And yet I'm still talking, basically to myself. So you're probably right," she rambled, clearly embarrassed.

Klaus found himself chuckling, which was as much a surprise as anything else. "Forgive me, sweetheart, I do in fact speak English," he finally said, giving her a practiced grin. "You just caught me off guard."

The nurse blushed faintly for a moment before her eyes narrowed once again. "Shouldn't a soldier always be on guard or something? How have you managed to survive this long if you lose your ability to speak because a nurse surprised you?" she grouched, clearly not impressed with his flirting, which once again shocked the vampire. Who was this girl?

"My apologies, Miss," he tried again, giving a small bow. "I'd be happy to make it up to you."

That only earned him an eyeroll. "Sure, you can make it up to me by helping me move this man onto the bed," she said shortly, gesturing to the unconscious man on the gurney.

"Of course, love," Klaus acquiesced, feeling a strange urge to know more about this odd girl who was not taken in by his usual tricks. "My name is Klaus, by the way."

The woman made no response as they both lifted the man into the bed and she proceeded to check him over before she was satisfied he was alright for the moment. Finally she turned back to Klaus. "Alright  _Klaus_ , come with me. You've clearly got plenty of time on your hands, and I could use an extra pair."

Klaus followed dutifully behind her, regarding her with increasing curiosity as she led him through the hospital, pointing out more and more menial tasks she was planning on having him do.

"Caroline." she said abruptly as they stopped outside what appeared to be a storage room. "My name, it's Caroline," the nurse repeated, meeting his eyes.

" _Caroline_ ," he parroted back, tasting the name on his tongue, deciding he liked the flavor.

Almost as much as he enjoyed the way she seemed to shiver when he said it before she briskly turned away and walked into the room.

And so Klaus' time in that small town became more than a mere stop on a blood soaked journey across the war torn continent. He stayed, lingering there much longer than he usually would, one month, then two. He would visit Caroline in the hospital every day, helping her with various tasks, slowly learning more and more about the beautiful girl.

He learned that she was American and had joined the war effort as soon as her country had entered the war, wanting to put her skills to use and help everyone she could. The concept was foreign to Klaus; helping other people for purely selfless reasons was something he had abandoned long ago. Yet it triggered a small wave of long forgotten memories, from when he was human, before he became a monster. He found himself wishing that he had known her then, before his life had become nothing but blood and hunger; he thought she might have liked the man he once was. The thought confused him greatly.

He learned she was from a small town, had expected to live a small town life with a small town husband and raise small town children. But the spark in her eyes he had seen the moment they first met told him that would never have been enough for her. Caroline was meant for greater things, and he found himself wanting to give them to her.

Of course none of this changed the fact that he still was a monster, a blood sucker who required regular meals from her patients. But much to his surprise Klaus found himself sparing them. He only fed as much as he needed, biting in inconspicuous and already wounded areas, covering his tracks and letting them live. What was more surprising was that he found he didn't mind. As long as it meant he could spend more time with her.

But as was always the case in Klaus' life, his moment of happiness and peace (ironic he managed to find such in the midst of a war), was not meant to last.

It was night when the first shells fell, the small encampment bombarded by enemy fire. Klaus quickly found himself running across the town, ignoring the fires and screams and explosions all around him, only one thought running through his mind:  _Caroline_.

He knew where he would find her, where she would go as soon as the fighting started. Klaus raced into the hospital, undead heart beating wildly in his chest as he searched for her, running from room to room until finally he spotted blonde hair bent over a freshly wounded soldier, attempting to staunch the flow of blood.

"Caroline! I need to get you out of here, it's not safe!"

Her head whipped up at his cry a small smile curling her lips as her eyes landed on him before she returned to reality, face turning serious as she resumed her life saving efforts. "You know I can't leave them, Klaus," she said sternly even as he skidded to a stop next to her. "I have to help them."

"Sweetheart, I admire your desire to help, really I do, but this hospital is a large target. Please, let me take you somewhere safe until the bombings have stopped," he found himself pleading, desperately willing her to go with him as he grasped her arm.

"I can't," she repeated, more firmly this time, turning to spare him a determined look.

As her eyes met his Klaus was about to force her to leave, compelling her if necessary, when time ran out. The world around them suddenly exploded, white obscuring his vision before everything went black.

The next time he opened his eyes all he could see was grey. After a moment he realized he was buried underneath a layer of rubble, the hospital clearly having taken a hit of enemy fire. Klaus quickly dislodged himself, moving the hundreds of pounds of stone and wood with ease, desperate to find her once more.

"Caroline!" he cried out, voice hoarse from his rapidly healing injuries. "Caroline! Where are you?!"

Had it not been for his supernatural hearing he would not have heard the small gasp of his name. Klaus quickly flashed in that direction, heaving up a great slab of stone in his frenzy to reach her before it was too late.

But his timing had always been poor, he knew. That didn't make the sight before him any easier to take.

The normally lively blonde he found underneath the fallen walls was now barely alive. She was covered in dust from the building collapse, her golden hair and bright blue eyes mere shadows of their usual beauty. And the blood, there was so much blood. If Klaus had not just eaten the day before, he had a feeling he wouldn't be able to control his features from shifting at the scent that currently assaulted him. Her blood smelled as good as she did, better even. It made the monster inside of him try and claw its way out, to sate its instinctive desires with her blood and flesh.

But he pushed down the urge, clearing his mind of the press of hunger before he gently reached down, cradling her broken body to his.

"Klaus," she whispered, eyes blinking up at him, full of pain. "I'm sorry… I should have listened…"

"Shh, it's alright, love," he crooned, brushing dust from her face as he held her tenderly. "I'll help you, I can make it right."

She looked up at him with what seemed like pity. She knew she was going to die and there was nothing anyone could do for her now. "I'm sorry," she repeated, voice barely a whisper now. "I don't want to leave you…"

"Then don't," he said forcefully, bringing a wrist to his mouth and biting down harshly as his fangs descended. "Stay with me. Forever."

Caroline blinked up at him in confusion. "Klaus…?"

He could see the effort it was taking her to remain conscious, to not slip away. "I can save you, Caroline. I can turn you into what I am. I'm a monster, love, but I know you could never be, no matter what you are." He wasn't sure why he was explaining this to her, why he was giving her a choice instead of just forcing her to stay with him. But something within him needed her permission, needed her to want to be with him.

"I don't… understand," she gasped out, eyes fluttering as she struggled to keep looking at him.

"Do you trust me?" Klaus asked suddenly, gaze piercing her as he studied her face. He had never cared about having someone's trust before, never needed or wanted it, yet somehow with Caroline… Everything was different.

She forced herself to look at him then, a look of concentration on her face. "Yes."

The single word filled Klaus with a long forgotten emotion, making him feel suddenly so much lighter. "Then drink," he whispered, pressing his bleeding wrist to her lips, watching the pale pink skin turn red with his blood.

Caroline stared at him with wide eyes before they slowly slipped closed, a spike of panic shooting through Klaus. Then he felt her tongue on his skin, pulling his blood into her mouth for a few moments before her body went slack in his grip. Klaus gently let down her head, pulse racing as he squeezed his wrist, causing more blood to drip into her slightly open mouth before he was satisfied.

When he reached down his chest clenched as he was unable to find a pulse. Was he too late? Did he wait too long to give her his blood? Klaus shook his head, forcing the thoughts from his mind. No, she had swallowed enough, she would turn. She would come back. Back to him.

"Come on, love, let's get you out of here," he whispered as he lifted her lifeless body from the ground, clutching her against his chest as if she was the most precious thing in the world; and to him she was. "There's a whole world out there I want to show you."


End file.
